Super Rugby Aupiki is getting bigger — and hopefully better.
There is still, however, no progress on some sort of crossover with the Australian clubs.
New Zealand Rugby has announced the women’s competition will expand in 2024 and 2025.
It will move to a full home-and-away format for the four teams, so there will be six rounds before a straight final between the top two.
The teams will also get an extended preseason programme and a boost in income for the players, while squads will increase from 28 to 30.
NZR said the extension to Aupiki had been finalised in conjunction with the four clubs — Blues, Chiefs Manawa, Hurricanes Poua and defending champions Matatu — as well as the New Zealand Rugby Players Association and rights-holder Sky Television.
A big focus has been boosting the high-performance environment.
Players will take part in an eight-week individual paid preparation window before a four-week preseason that will include two games.
The season will kick off in March with six weeks of round robin action before the final.
Games will be a mix of standalone fixtures and double-headers with Super Rugby Pacific clubs.
With the increased time commitment, non-Black Ferns players who are contracted will see payments more than doubling to a minimum of $17,000 for the season.
Aupiki is very much in its fledgling stages.
It featured just three rounds in 10 days — all played in Hamilton — during the Covid-affected 2022 season, and three rounds plus playoffs this year.
NZR professional rugby general manager Chris Lendrum said the aim was to cement a sustainable competition and provide a pathway for high-performance players.
"We recognise that for Super Rugby Aupiki to be the best on-field showcase for the women’s game we need to get the preparation right and are confident that the increased individual training and assembly periods will strengthen our players and as a result, the rugby they produce," Lendrum said.
Two issues to be explored are whether all elite New Zealand players will appear in Aupiki — the competition was affected this year by the absence of many — and how some sort of interaction with Australian clubs can be developed.
"There remains potential in the future to combine in some way with Super W in Australia and that will continue to be explored," Lendrum said.
"In the short term, we are hopeful we will arrange some preseason fixtures with our transtasman rivals."
